That Weird Kid
by artsc
Summary: Beca and Chloe met in class one day, and Beca clearly doesn't want to make any new friends. But, Chloe is determined to learn about Beca and her weird habits, like putting fries on her burgers and refusing to get a driver's license. Slightly AU, Beca/Chloe, T for language in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Chloe was sitting in the front row of the classroom, like usual. She was diligently writing every word the teacher spoke, hanging on every pause with her pen at the ready.

Her focus was broken when the door opened, revealing a short, brunette girl wearing a flannel shirt and jeans. The girl walked in and sat in the only seat open: The one next to Chloe.

The girl's binder had _Beca Mitchell_ written across the front. Various scribbles and what appeared to be song lyrics crowded the rest of the binder, leaving no empty space. Beca's backpack had a pair of headphones sticking out.

"Hi, um, Beca." Chloe said, double-checking the name on the binder. "I'm Chloe."

"Hey." Beca replied curtly. She refused to meet Chloe's inquisitive gaze. "You know, I'm not a caged animal, you can stop staring."

Chloe quickly turned away and focused back on her work. She couldn't quite put her finger why, but she wanted to find out about Beca for some reason.

Class passed slowly. Chloe frequently checked over her shoulder, always hoping that Beca was doing the same.

She wasn't.

"Beca!" Chloe called out as they walked out of class. Beca turned around, saw Chloe, and sighed.

"Binder. Right. Thanks." Beca took the binder Chloe was holding out and walked past her without another word.

"Well, that went well." Chloe muttered to herself.

Weeks passed. Chloe made no progress on what she called _Project Beca_. Beca refused to talk, Chloe insisted on trying to talk, and no talking ever actually took place.

Finally, during lunch, Chloe found Beca arched over her laptop in the courtyard outside of the cafeteria. Her headphones were on, and she was tapping her fingers on the edge of her shoe.

Chloe sat down next to her and looked at the screen.

"Hey stranger." Chloe said loud enough for Beca to hear. Chloe pulled the headphones off of her head and placed them defiantly over her own ears.

"What the hell, Chloe? Seriously, why do you keep doing this?" Beca grumbled as she tried and failed to retrieve her headphones.

"Well, you need a friend, so here I am." Chloe turned Beca's laptop around to look at the screen. "This is cool. Sound great, too." She nodded her head to the beat and started to sing along.

"Since when do you know Whitesnake?" Beca asked with a laugh before she pulled out a pair of ear buds from her bag. She plugged them into the computer and listened with Chloe.

"Since forever. _Just another heart in need of rescue, waiting on love's sweet charity._" Chloe continued singing. "Wait, there's some backup vocals here. Is it you?"

"Yeah, I add vocals to the tracks to add some different feelings or layers." Beca answered. She surprised herself with how open she was being.

They continued listening to the track until it was over. Chloe was left in a state of amazement. Beca watched her expressions carefully, although there wasn't much to keep track of.

"Thanks for letting me listen." Chloe said. She took off Beca's headphones and placed them on her backpack. "You know, there's this thing that, well, I mean, I have lunch now. Do you?" Chloe's words fell out of her mouth like pebbles. She tried to keep them coherent, but eventually gave up. "I see you sitting alone every day. I'm going to grab my lunch and bring it here."

"Sounds good." Beca said quietly. She had never been invited to sit with anyone before. She was used to being alone, but Chloe made it so easy to have company. "Here," Beca said, handing Chloe a five dollar bill, "grab me a burger."

While Chloe walked away, she smiled. Neither girl had intended the conversation to work so easily. Chloe entered the line for the cafeteria, with her and Beca's money in hand. She ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and got Beca's burger, then returned to the courtyard.

"You know, these burgers are good and all, but there's this great restaurant a few blocks from campus that have unbeatable burgers." Beca said as she mauled her hamburger. "Their fries make it the best, though." She added as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"I guess you really know your burgers, huh?" Chloe asked, sensing Beca opening up. "Maybe we should go and eat there some time." She surprised herself when she said that. She wasn't expecting Beca to be very welcoming towards her offer, but again, she was surprised.

"Yes." Beca replied excitedly. "That would actually be great. If you liked the mix I showed you, you're going to love that place. I give them my mixes, and they play them all the time." She bit into her burger again to stop herself from talking any more. She wasn't used to giving this much information to anyone, but somehow Chloe managed to get it out of her.

"Sounds great. Let's meet here on Saturday before we go." Chloe said. She finished her own lunch and stood up. "See you then!" She called as she walked away.

Beca was left again sitting alone with her laptop. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking. Carefully, she took the top bun off of her burger and piled a handful of fries onto the other half. Beca put the bun back on and continued eating.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello! Just to clear some things up, they are at Barden. There aren't Bellas, but the characters will come up later. Also, try eating burgers like Beca. I speak from experience when I say it is magic._

* * *

The courtyard was mostly empty, except for the trees. Beca sat under the smallest one with her laptop, waiting for Chloe to meet her. She pulled out her phone to check the time.

While she was looking down, Chloe snuck behind the tree. She watched as Beca pulled up a document on her laptop and start typing.

"Hey." Chloe said as she came out from behind the tree. "Looks like you're having fun."

"What the hell, dude?" Beca exclaimed, turning around quickly. "Not cool. Give me a second." Beca rested her head against the tree and sighed. "Rule number one. Never do that again."

Chloe sat down next to her, completely invading her personal space. She didn't seem to notice Beca's slight shift away from her body.

"Rule number two. Personal space" Beca said and scooted a few inches to the side.

"Um, no. My turn. Rule number one. Personal space is under the discretion of the invader." Chloe retorted proudly. She sat up straighter, impressed at her own cleverness. "But rules are for another time. Let's go eat, I'm half starved."

Beca stood up and pulled the USB from her laptop. She stretched and led the way down the street.

"Wait, no car?" Chloe asked after they left the campus. She knew it wasn't far, but most people drove everywhere.

"Yeah, about that." Beca said, shifting her messenger bag to her other shoulder. "I don't have a license. Never felt like getting one." She saw Chloe's confusion and smiled. "What, too wimpy to walk a few blocks?" Beca added. Her sneakers barely made a sound on the pavement, but Chloe's boots clicked loudly.

Under a streetlight on a corner, the two stood and waited for a break in traffic to cross the street. Chloe finally got a decent look at Beca, since it was fairly dark outside.

"I approve." Chloe nodded. Beca looked around, not sure of how to respond. Chloe pointed to Beca's neck. "I would never have pegged you as the tie type, but you seem to always have surprises."

"Oh, yeah." Beca said, looking down at her tie. "I forgot about this. I think I put it on this morning because I didn't want to forget to wear it on Monday. We're discussing gender roles in English, remember?" Beca concluded her short anecdote by pointing across the street. "Let's go."

"Wait, since when are we doing that in English?" Chloe called out as she followed Beca.

"Well, I guess you've spent too much time staring at my binder during class to pay attention." Beca replied with a shrug. "You really like to read those lyrics, don't you?" She stopped walking and turned around to face Chloe.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Chloe said, trying to hide the blush creeping up her face. "They just seem so open. I mean, you never have the last lines of the song. Not to be creepy or anything, but it's just something I've noticed."

Beca stood silently for a minute, contemplating what to say. She turned and continued walking, but a few inches closer to Chloe this time.

"I never liked endings. They never turned out the way I wanted them to." Beca said quickly with her head down. She stared at her tie and waited for Chloe to say something. Neither of them ended up speaking for the rest of the walk.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Beca handed her USB to one of the waiters and whispered something to him before sitting down with Chloe.

"Okay, so you really like burgers." Chloe said when the waiter didn't ask for Beca's order. "You seriously get a plain burger and fries every single time?"

"Don't forget the extra order of fries. Trust me, you'll understand." Beca reminded Chloe. "You have to get a burger, though. No excuses."

The waiter took Chloe's order, the same as Beca's, and walked away. The background music of the restaurant got slightly louder, and Beca grinned and nodded her head to the beat. It took Chloe a few seconds to figure out it was one of Beca's mixes, but when she did, she listened intently.

"Anyways," Beca said, breaking the moment, "not that I don't like you, but why did you invite me to dinner?" She was talking quietly, a habit she had formed after years of whispered arguments with her parents.

"You seemed lonely, and I saw your lyrics. Anyone who writes that much on their binder has something to say." Chloe explained. She took a sip of water and looked at Beca. She was somehow spellbound by the brunette's combination of apprehension and ease. Chloe kept finding herself lost in the pattern of the blue tie around Beca's neck, just as she found herself lost in the lyrics written across her binder.

Before they could further their discussion, their burgers came. Without hesitation, Beca slathered ketchup across each bun and piled fries on the bottom bun and then on top of the burger. Chloe watched, enthralled, as Beca placed the top bun back on and bit into her creation.

"Okay, you are tiny. How can you fit that in your mouth?" Chloe asked, unable to keep quiet any longer. "That has to be like four inches tall."

Beca, with her mouth completely full, attempted to smile. She ended up laughing too much to focus on chewing and made Chloe be quiet while she finished her bite.

"Training, Chloe. Lot's of training." Beca said after swallowing. "Try it." She pointed to Chloe's burger, which sat untouched on her plate. "Why do you think I always get extra fries?"


	3. Chapter 3

_This is going to set up for the rest of the story. Bear with me, you will be __rewarded. Just a little warning, it will become more of a serious story later, but just a little bit._

* * *

Their dinner concluded when both girls were practically drenched in ketchup and completely stuffed.

"You know what, Beca?" Chloe asked. She was leaning back in her chair, holding her glass of water.

"What?" Beca said, slightly nervous. She was always nervous, but Chloe's unexpected conversations always ended up with her revealing something about herself.

"That was fantastic." Chloe said. She sat up and leaned her elbows on the table. "But, you never let me finish talking about your tie." Chloe waited, ready to listen to Beca. But Beca stayed silent for a minute.

"Well," Beca started, "I guess I just always thought ties were cool. They just look cool, and there's so many knots to learn." She started to untie her tie and continued talking. "Like this one," She started to wind one of the ends around the other, "which is the diagonal knot. I learned this one just a few weeks ago."

Chloe watched, amazed at Beca's absurdities. When Beca finished the knot and presented it to her, Chloe couldn't help but stare at Beca's face instead. Beca was beaming with pride, like a kid at a talent show.

The two girls resorted to silence when neither one of them continued the conversation. Chloe couldn't stop thinking about Beca and how she was so blunt and confident about her quirks. Yet beneath that confidence, Chloe could tell that Beca wasn't used to people accepting her odd behavior. It was new to both of them.

They walked back to campus from the restaurant chatting about schoolwork and blatantly avoiding personal topics. Every time Chloe brought up something personal or anything that could lead to Beca talking about herself, Beca switched the conversation back to school or the weather, and tried to keep Chloe talking.

Beca and Chloe stopped at the door to their dorm building. The night air was cold and fresh, but both girls felt uncomfortably warm. Neither would admit to themselves that something changed between them during dinner.

"So, um, yeah." Chloe mumbled, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket. Beca chuckled at Chloe's self-hating expression. "I'm usually, well, better with…" Chloe said, "words. Words. Damn, I really should just stop talking now."

"No, no, it's fine." Beca replied. "I get it. When you put words into so many other things, talking just doesn't feel right." Chloe looked up and smiled.

"You know, for someone who thinks talking doesn't feel right, you sure know exactly what to say." Chloe said with a smile. "You watch me in class. I know it." She poked Beca's shoulder playfully. "You see me write all the time, don't you?"

"Like you can talk. You stare at me even when I'm not doing anything." Beca tried to keep her face from turning red, to no avail.

Chloe didn't know how to respond. She didn't try to stare, it just kind of happened. Ever day in class, she would watch Beca add lyrics to her binder. Occasionally, she would copy her favorites onto the inside of her own binder. But she would add her own endings, different than the one that was actually in the song. Then Chloe would just keep watching Beca. She didn't have an excuse. There was just something intriguing about her.

They walked up the stairs to their respective floors, but Beca pulled Chloe back before she could get to her room.

"Thanks for this." Beca said. "Believe it or not, not many people try to talk to me. I'm always that weird kid." She tried to continue, but found herself lost to any other words.

Without warning, a blonde girl walked out of Chloe's dorm and gave Chloe a stern glare.

"Chlo, if you're going to stand out here and chat, at least say something interesting so that I can eavesdrop." She said with her hands on her hips. "You must be Beca. I'm Aubrey, Chloe's roommate. And Chloe, remember you have an appointment tomorrow morning." Aubrey added. Chloe clenched her jaw and glared back at Aubrey.

"Got it. Thanks. Now give me a minute?" Chloe pushed Aubrey back into the room and shut the door, leaving herself and Beca alone again.

"Anyways," Beca said, "thanks for being cool about all that." She loosened her tie a little and shifted her feet. "See you in class."

"You know, you're not the only person who's weird." Chloe called to Beca before she could walk away. "But next time, we're something a little more low-key and a little less ketchup-coated. Tomorrow, stop by and bring some pajamas. We're going to have a lazy day."

Beca rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless. With a quick wave, she turned the corner and headed to her own dorm.

As she walked, she searched through her phone, planning her next random act of weirdness.

Chloe was back from her appointment and texted Beca, telling her to come over. Aubrey was out for the day, so she pulled the cushions off of their couch and had them spread on the floor, along with some blankets.

Chloe planned on showing Beca some of her weirdness, to try to make her feel better, but could only come up with so much to do. The only thing she had planned was her favorite movie, _Knocked Up_, and a box set of _Rugrats_ DVDs.

It wasn't long before Beca showed up with a duffel bag in one hand and a stack of CDs in the other.

"Let the weird party begin." Beca said when Chloe opened the door. Both of them laughed, although slightly awkwardly, at the reference to the night before. "Prepare to be amazed." Beca continued as she set the CDs on the floor and spread them out.

"I would have never pegged you as a soundtrack person, but you prove me wrong." Chloe chuckled as she looked over the covers. "Let's see, did you like Sliver Linings Playbook better or Toy Story?" She picked up the two cases and looked at the song titles. "I have to say, Silver Linings wins the name game here."

But Beca already had her attention elsewhere. She was examining the pillows and laying out the blankets, seeing how big they were.

"You get those discs into a CD player, and by the time you're back, I'll be ready for whatever you have planned." Beca looked around the room as she spoke. Chloe, more than a little confused, dug through her closest for a CD player. She heard some shuffling behind her, and she was sure Beca swore at least twenty times, but she wouldn't le herself look. If it were anything like last night, whatever Bea was doing would be better as a surprise.


	4. Chapter 4

_This is the more serious chapter. It gets a little depressing, but the next one will be more upbeat._

* * *

Beca carefully stepped back from her creation and checked her phone. The picture she had taken years ago had helped her plan work so quickly.

"Ready." She said when she saw that Chloe was still facing the closet. With a grand motion, she displayed her work.

"This. This is why I forced you to interact with me." Chloe said, amazed. She stepped towards the pillow fort that now occupied the majority of the room and looked at Beca, who was smiling proudly again, just like at dinner. She watched Chloe expectantly as they entered the fort.

Beca had moved the television to the floor and put the pillows upright as walls. The blankets became the new ceiling, but Beca had saved a few for inside, along with some smaller pillows.

"Do you like it?" Beca asked. She moved to the corner of the fort and motioned for Chloe to come over with her. "Not too weird for you yet?"

"Not one bit." Chloe responded with a grin. "I love it."

Before long, both girls were in pajamas and _Knocked Up_ and season one of _Rugrats_ were both finished and packed back away in their cases. Beca's soundtracks provided background noise while they talked and hung out in the fort.

"So, that's the fort I made a few years ago. It was huge, it took up the entire living room." Beca said as she scrolled through her pictures. Chloe watched, amazed, as she dug through her own pictures.

"Okay, my turn. This is my eighth grade graduation. Right after, I went home and watched the saddest movie." Chloe handed Beca her phone and flipped between a few pictures. A notification popped up on her screen.

_Reminder: Make new appt. for Doc, order more med_

"Um, Chloe?" Beca said. She handed the phone to Chloe, who groaned in frustration. She lay on her back and covered her face with one hand.

"Shit. I forgot to turn that off." She mumbled under her breath. Chloe sat up and crawled out of the fort. "Just give me a sec, okay?" She said as she stood up.

Beca nodded and stayed in her fort, more than a little concerned about Chloe. Something seemed just a bit off. She couldn't help but shake the feeling that it had to do with Chloe's appointment.

A few minutes went by and Beca went to find Chloe. She quickly found her sitting across the room, furiously typing on her phone.

"Chloe, you okay?" Beca said as she crouched down next to Chloe. She was met with little response, just a small nod. "No, I can tell you're not okay. You're not usually like this." She reached out cautiously and put her hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"You just violated you rule." Chloe whispered, unable to talk any louder. She could feel the tears swelling in her eyes and clogging her throat.

"Not quite. Discretion of the invader, remember?" Beca tried to smile, but seeing Chloe so upset made even that impossible.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. They just sat there, unsure of what to do.

After another minute, Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook.

"See this?" She asked, her voice trembling. "This is my weird." Chloe handed the notebook to Beca and waited for her to open it.

"What is this?" Beca asked, mildly uncomfortable. "I can't do this, I mean, no. How can you just hand me your 'weird' and be fine?" Chloe's actions went against everything Beca had trained herself to do. She still held the notebook, closed, in her hand. Chloe nodded encouragingly, and Beca had no choice but to see what was inside.

_Feb. 16, 2013_

_ Had to go to dentist. Slapped in panic._

_ Went to dorm, yelled at Aubrey, sat outside for an hour._

_ Dinner with Beca tonight. Need to calm down._

"That was yesterday. I know what it's like." Chloe explained as Beca continued reading. "I have GAD, generalized anxiety disorder, and it sucks. I hide it from everybody. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I have to leave places just to calm down enough to make it through the night. Still other times, I get so nervous about nothing that I just shut down." She leaned against the wall and watched Beca flip the pages. "My therapist told me to keep a journal. Trust me, I'm just as weird as you, if not more so."

Beca closed the journal and handed it back to Chloe. She couldn't say anything. All she could do was sit against the wall next to Chloe and let the silence explain what words could never even begin to say. Beca knew that was all Chloe needed. She needed someone to listen, really listen. Chloe needed what Beca had always wanted but never got.

Chloe grabbed Beca's hand in hers without a word. Both of them knew that pulling away would violate their unspoken understanding.

"Do you feel that?" She asked, knowing that what she was about to do could change their friendship forever. "That's my heartbeat. I feel it pounding at my chest, like something's trapped inside of me and it's ready to tear itself out. That's what happens when I, when I get weird." Now she was talking more to herself than to Beca. "I guess I'm just good at hiding it. But I'm so sick of having this inside of me and pushing it down more and more until I just-"

Beca quickly pulled Chloe towards her and placed a hand on the back of Chloe's head.

"I know." Beca whispered before pressing her lips to Chloe's. She let her hand rest on Chloe's neck and felt Chloe lean closer to her.

Beca slowly pulled herself away form Chloe and looked into her strikingly blue eyes. They watched each other closely, both trying to anticipate the other's reaction.

Chloe was the first to cave. She leaned back against the wall and put her head on Beca's shoulder.

"So, when you had your appointment today, it was with-" Beca asked quietly.

"Yeah." Chloe sighed and placed her hand on Beca's knee. She turned to face Beca again, and she noticed the Toy Story soundtrack was still playing. Beca noticed too, and started to sing along quietly.

_"__You've got troubles; well I've got 'em too_

_There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you_

_We stick together and we see it through_

_You've got a friend in me_

_You've got a friend in me _

_Some other folks might be_

_A little bit smarter than I am_

_Bigger and stronger too_

_Maybe_

_But none of them will ever love you the way I do"_

Chloe gave up on trying to hold back her tears. Beca wrapped her arms around her and hummed along to the rest of the song. Chloe's shoulders shook with each small sob, but Beca kept holding her.

"I know, Chloe. I know." Beca said. She knew better than she would like to admit.

* * *

_Just a small note: GAD is a common anxiety disorder. It involves free-floating anxiety (anxiety for no particular reason), which is part of Chloe's reaction to the reminder, and other forms of anxiety._


	5. Chapter 5

_Before you read this, look up "Skylar Astin spring awakening" and "Skylar Astin RENT" is you want to enjoy this chapter as much as possible. It's worth it. Or wait until after. Either way, look it up at some point._

_Also, this chapter starts out serious and then gets super fluffy at the very end. The fluff will continue next chapter. Be warned._

* * *

Monday came around, and Beca found herself on one side of the classroom, facing Chloe on the opposite side. Their teacher, Mr. Fraser, ordered them to "circle the wagons," meaning he wanted them to gather in a circle in the front of the room with nothing else with them, no backpacks, no phones, nothing.

"Alright, class. To those of you who paid attention, we're discussion gender roles today." Mr. Fraser announced. He was met with multiple surprised faces, but a few excited ones. "Who'll start us off?" He looked around the circle, waiting for someone to talk. Beca slowly raised her hand and straightened her tie. "Yes, Beca. We don't hear much from you, start us off."

The class was small, because it was an optional English elective, but there were enough people to make Beca uncomfortable. She and Chloe kept eye contact, though, ignoring the others.

"A lot of times we think that society won't 'get' us. As much as we control how we are perceived, society tells us want people want to see and how we get them to see that." Beca started her rant that she had been preparing for days. "Gender is just another way society does that to us. The trick to eliminating gender roles is not to care." Beca leaned her elbows on her knees, now talking directly to Chloe without the others knowing. "We try to over-compensate to hide what we really want or feel. That's how society breaks us. We try so hard to put on that happy mask of ignorance and then just collapse, broken and damaged." She watched Chloe carefully, noticing the gleam of tears in Chloe's eyes. "But society has done that enough already. Isn't it time we take back our identities and stop letting our fears control us? The moment we go against expectations is the moment the world changes." Beca rested her hand on the end of her tie and looked around.

A few murmurs of agreement floated around the room, but one girl glared at Beca.

"You only say that because you're weird." Such a short phrase cut Beca deeply. "I mean, if you just went with society, you wouldn't be so against it." The girl turned and looked around the room in an attempt to find backup.

"Shut up." Chloe said before she could think. She clamped her mouth shut, but found herself too far in to stop. "I, what you said, I mean-" Chloe's face burned red. She took a deep breath before continuing. "It's because of people like you that we want to be different. Shouldn't society be more open to all those involved in it?" Chloe's heartbeat filled her ears. She could feel pairs upon pairs of eyes watching her, waiting for her to fail. Her stomach felt as if it was being squeezed and contorted. The possibility of tears was all too real for her.

It was only a few people who noticed the significant change in Chloe's demeanor. Some people whispered to others, wondering if she was okay, but mostly people just stared.

Discreetly, Mr. Fraser nodded at Chloe, who then quickly walked out of the room. Beca stood up without hesitation and followed, hoping that Mr. Fraser would understand.

"I guess this is turning into a frequent thing, huh?" Beca said as she approached Chloe, who was sitting in the grass.

"Yeah, I guess." Chloe mumbled. "Usually I'm fine, but I ran out of pills this morning and the prescription won't be ready until later today." This was the first time Chloe had directly mentioned her medication, so Beca knew not to press the issue too much.

"Want to go do something besides listen to idiots say stupid stuff?" Beca asked. Chloe looked up at her and started to laugh.

"Such a way with words, really. It takes true talent to use such sophisticated words." Chloe said. She stood up and wrapped her arm around Beca. "I'll e-mail Fraser and tell him you helped me home. He's cool with all this; I let all my teachers know at the beginning of the semester. Fraser will understand. I could lie a little, too, you know, say that I had a complete mental breakdown or something." Chloe smiled at her joke. Beca mockingly acted shocked and appalled, putting her hand over her mouth and gasping loudly.

"I never knew you could be such a rebel, Beale. But seriously, I have tickets for a show tonight, and you're coming, no matter what. You need this today." Beca pulled out two tickets form her pocket and handed one to Chloe. "One of my friends is in it, I think you'll enjoy it."

"Row K, seriously? These are fantastic seats!" Chloe squealed when the two girls arrived at the theatre. "This is great, thank you so much."

Beca grinned, excited to show Chloe something she had definitely never seen before.

"Yeah, well, my friend Jesse hooked me up with these seats. Thank him. He's going to be the one with ridiculous hair, although that could be anyone in this, really." Beca took two playbills from the usher and led Chloe to their seats. "This is both fantastic and depressing, fair warning." She figured it would be best to warn Chloe beforehand, just to prepare her. "Later, we'll head back to my dorm and we can play my favorite game ever. Just wait, you'll love it."

The lights dimmed when Beca stopped talking, and the theatre quieted down.

_"Welcome to the Barden University production of _Spring Awakening_, a new musical. Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices, and refrain from eating or drinking in the theatre. This production contains adult content and sexual themes. There will be use of strobe lights and water-based haze."_

The music started, and the show took off. The blend of folk, classical, and rock music filled the theatre, providing both a rock and theatrical atmosphere.

The lights came back on at the end of act two. Beca turned to Chloe, who was hysterically crying.

"I knew you'd love it." Beca said jokingly, and Chloe playfully punched her arm.

"I know this sounds weird, but I needed that. I feel great now." Chloe laughed at herself and looked at the playbill. "So, this Jesse kid played the goy in love with his piano teacher, right?"

"Correct. Let's go say hi, I bet he's waiting for me out there somewhere." Beca stood up and pulled Chloe out into the lobby.

They waded through the crowd and eventually located Jesse, still in costume, by the stage door.

"Jesse, you were great!" Beca ran up to him and hugged him, pulling Chloe along with her. "Oh, and this is Chloe." She added when Chloe almost knocked him over with the force Beca used to pull her over.

"Hi. This was my first time seeing the show, and I was really impressed. Since when did we have such a good theatre department?" Chloe shook Jesse's hand and looked around, trying to remember hearing about some of the shows that had been put on before.

"Not long, but it's been getting better the past year. We're doing RENT next, and I think I'm going to be Mark!" Jesse said. Beca's jaw dropped.

"Yes. You have to be Mark. That's it, you rock at this." Beca gave him a high-five and noticed Chloe's laughter. "What, like you're surprised? You know I'm weird."

"Clearly. I just never thought you'd be much of a theatre person." Chloe responded. "We should go, though. I think it's ready to be picked up now." She nodded towards the door, and Beca understood right away. They both wished Jesse luck on his RENT audition and left the theatre.

In the brisk evening air, the two girls naturally gravitated towards each other. Although Beca wasn't into the invasion of personal space, she couldn't help but enjoy it when Chloe bundled up against her when the wind picked up.

"You need a car, so that we don't have to walk everywhere." Chloe jokingly complained. Beca abruptly stopped walking and turned to face Chloe.

"I have a question." Beca said. She didn't wait for Chloe to respond before asking. "Are we a thing? I mean, I, well, I like you. We really bonded when you told me about your anxiety, and I think I get it more than you know, and now I'm rambling because I'm running out of things to say, and please say something so that I can stop talking, this is getting-"

Chloe pulled Beca into a kiss and held her against her. Beca allowed herself to return the kiss and put her arms around Chloe.

Even though both of them enjoyed the kiss, Chloe had just one thing she needed to say. She pulled away and took a deep breath before talking.

"Beca, you weirdo, we're everything."


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter gets pretty deep at the end, so be prepared for some heavy emotions. Also, if you looked up Skylar Astin, points to you._

* * *

"Babe, come on. The pharmacy closes in twenty minutes and I still have to get my meds." Chloe called across the aisle to Beca, who was amusing herself with the assortment of cheap toys on the shelves.

"Come on, just look at this." Beca said, holding up a stuffed dog. She pressed the ear, and it started to bark loudly. "This is hilarious! Imagine putting this outside your dorm room. Aubrey would freak out!" Beca laughed, and Chloe couldn't help but join in.

"Alright. We can get it, but only if you promise to do that. Like actually, put that under her bed or something." Chloe said as she led Beca to the pharmacy counter. "I always get kind of freaked out when I do this, just in case someone I know is behind me or something. But I guess I can't say that after your speech today." Chloe told the pharmacist her name and after a minute, she had her medication and Beca's stuffed dog paid for.

They were walking home when Beca remembered the game she had wanted to play with Chloe.

"Time for the game I was telling you about." Beca said excitedly. "Okay, you give me a thing, topic, idea, person, whatever. I say what I immediately think of that relates to that, and then something that relates to that, and so on. The point is to see how far and how fast you can go." Beca clapped her hands together and prepared herself for what Chloe would say.

"Sounds good. Okay, start with," Chloe hesitated, thinking, but lit up when she finally said, "ties." Beca's face lit up, and before, Chloe could even prepare herself, Beca had launched into her game.

"Ties remind me of suits, because, well, it makes sense. Suits remind me of Barney Stinson, because he rocks suits all the time. He reminds me of Marshall, because they're bros. Then there's the Muppets, because of Jason Segal. Oh, then that reminds me of seagulls. No surprise there." Beca rambled on and on, impressing Chloe each time she made an impossible connection. "Wait, wait, seagulls go to bread, then to my high school, because it was next to this giant bakery that always made the school smell like bread. Best thing ever, by the way."

Chloe watched Beca in amazement throughout their entire walk back to the dorm. They shot out random connections after each other, as the game got more and more intense. But it came to an abrupt halt when they reached Chloe's door.

"Well, this has really been great." Chloe said, sighing. She leaned against her door and looked at Beca. To Chloe, it was amazing how much one person could make the world seem so small. In that moment, it was just the two of them, with no other worries. For once, Chloe felt relaxed.

"Anyways," Beca said, "this doesn't have to be it. Kimmy Jin is out tonight with her Asian posse. We can hang out in my dorm, if you want." Beca blushed as soon as she stopped talking. "I mean, not like, you know. Damn, words just hate me sometimes." She tried to read Chloe's expression, but Chloe wasn't leaving much to be interpreted.

"I'd love to." She grinned and followed Beca to her dorm. Along the way, she ran through the night in her head. Everything that had happened was so easy. Somehow, Beca knew how to bring Chloe out of the fog of anxiety that clouded her vision.

The two girls lay on Beca's bed, listening to Beca's latest mix. The room was otherwise very quiet, and they we fine with that.

Beca shifted to face Chloe and carefully placed her hands on Chloe's. She could see Chloe tense just slightly, but she continued to fiddle with Chloe's hands.

"I'm going to say something." Beca whispered. She didn't care how stupid she sounded; she just needed to let it out.

Chloe turned to face her and nodded expectantly.

"When I first saw you, I was terrified. You scared me." Beca said quietly. "You watched me and were always there when it seemed like you had just gone away. The way you were always there made me feel like you knew something I didn't. But you really just wanted to connect with someone who you felt could understand you." She paused and let her words sink in. "I'm sorry for pushing you away before. I just never knew anyone that would make me want to break my own rules." Beca looked down at her hands, which were resting on top of Chloe's. "If I make this any longer, I know that my words won't come out right. I love you, Chloe. I really don't want this to be weird, but-"

Chloe cut Beca off by pulling her hands away and placing them on Beca's shoulders.

"This is going to be weird." Chloe said. "We are weird, okay? So don't even start about this," Chloe gestured to herself and Beca, "not being normal or predictable or whatever." Chloe kept her eyes on Beca's as she talked, refusing to let herself retreat. Her heart pounded against her chest. The room felt warmer and crowded, even though they were the only ones there. Chloe inhaled deeply before clasping her hands behind Beca's neck.

"Chloe, are you okay?" Beca asked, taking note of Chloe's building anxiety.

"I have no idea." Chloe muttered before pulling Beca towards her into a deep kiss. She had to stop to take a breath, though, before her nerves got the best of her. She stared at Beca, the girl who pulled her up when she fell down. The girl who, by letting herself open up just slightly, had gotten Chloe to feel comfortable for the first time in years.

"How do I even respond to that?" Beca whispered, unsure of how to continue.

Chloe continued to breathe deeply in an attempt to relax. She could see Beca's worry, which just amplified her own. She couldn't stop the nagging fear in the back of her mind, constantly questioning whether she had made the right move or not. Chloe couldn't speak. If she even tried, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop the tears building up in her.

"Sing that song." She said quickly. "The one from Toy Story."

Now it was Beca's turn to get nervous.

"No, I can't. Really, I-"  
"You don't give yourself enough credit. You sound fantastic. Don't be afraid."

Beca hesitated. Chloe's face was so tortured that Beca felt like she had to help. But she was scared. She held within her the ability to help Chloe, but also the fear of opening up a whole new portion of herself to Chloe. Chloe's tears broke through and fell down her face.

"Please. Let me know I did the right thing, that you meant what you said." Chloe begged, grabbing Beca's hands and pulling them to her chest.

"_You've got troubles; well I've got 'em too_

_There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you_

_We stick together and we see it through_"

Beca watched as Chloe shut her eyes and listened.

"_Some other folks might be_

_A little bit smarter than I am_

_Bigger and stronger too_

_Maybe_

_But none of them will ever love you the way I do_"

"Thanks." Chloe muttered through her quivering lips.

"It's true, though." Beca whispered back. "I don't care what it is I have to do. If you need a song to get you through the day, then you can sure as hell bet that I will be there singing it for you."


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry this took a while! Today's a snow day, so the next chapter should be up fairly soon._

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

"Burgers tonight?" Chloe asked.

"You bet. Remember, extra-"

"Fries. Got it." Chloe said, finishing Beca's order for her. She called in their order for delivery.

"You know the world's a good place when you can get burgers delivered right to your door." Beca said, reclining in her desk chair. She and Chloe were in her dorm, since Kimmy Jin was out on one of her Asian outings. "I've been working on a new mix, want to hear it?"

Chloe jumped up and nodded before dashing to Beca's bed where her headphones lay. She excitedly untangled the chord and placed the heavy padding over her ears.

"Okay, here it goes." Beca muttered to herself before pressing the play button. As the music played, she explained the song. "I got Jesse to help me with the vocals for this one, and I really wanted to capture that feeling you described when we left Spring Awakening."

Chloe listened as the music beat through the headphones.

_Don't breathe too deep. Don't think all day._

_Dive into work. Drive the other way._

_That drip of hurt, that pint of shame_

_Goes away just play the game._

_Just winging over things, and nothing deep inside._

_Nothing going, going wild in you, you know._

_Connection, in an isolating age._

_For once the shadows gave way to light,_

_For once I didn't disengage._

_Hey I've done my time_

_Looking back on it all and it blows my mind._

_Just tighten those shoulders_

_Just clench your jaw 'till you frown._

_Just don't let go or you may drown._

_I don't do sadness, not even a little bit._

_Just don't need it in my life._

_Will someone care?_

_Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?_

"Wow." Chloe whispered. She looked at Beca, who was watching her closely. "Spot on." She nodded her head to the music, smiling.

"I've actually been working on this for a while, but it wasn't until you came that I really knew what I was trying to do." Beca said, just loud enough for Chloe to hear her over the music. "So, thanks for that."

"Any time."

/

The two girls were sitting on the floor, surrounded by Styrofoam containers and napkins, listening to more of Beca's mixes. Both of them had finished their burgers, and they were delaying the inevitable clean up.

"I have an idea." Beca said, smirking. She pulled out an old laptop and a CD case from the bottom of her closet and set in on the floor in front of them.

Beca pried open the five-year-old laptop. She checked the disc drive, making sure the right disc was in. Moments, later, the computer whirred to life.

"This, this here, is the greatest game of all time." Beca gestured grandly towards the opening montage of Sims 2.

"Wait, but didn't Sims 3 come out a few years ago?" Chloe asked, looking at the disc's case.

"Sims 2 is better. Hands down." Beca responded. Chloe chuckled at Beca's excitement.

"Remind me again why we're on the floor?" Chloe moaned, looking longingly at the bed just behind them.

"Tradition. Plus, it's easier with more than one person to be on the floor." Beca said, never taking her attention away from the loading bar.

The towns loaded up, and Beca immediately brought them to one of her custom towns. The standard Sims 2 music pulsed from the old speakers. Chloe grimaced at the techno beat, but Beca hummed along.

"You learn to love it. Otherwise, you'll end up ripping your ears off." Beca explained. "I mean, this game is probably 40% loading, 40% playing, and 20% cheating like a maniac." She opened up the cheat bar and typed in a string of memorized codes.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say you played this a lot as a kid?" Chloe nudged Beca's shoulder lightly. Slightly embarrassed, Beca nodded. But when she scrolled around the town, she turned bright red.

"Shit." Beca muttered. "This is my fucked up town." She clicked on the various occupied houses expertly, much to Chloe's amazement.

Dozens of families popped up on the screen, each with a description and picture. Most of them contained at least three teenagers and an assortment of younger kids.

"I always got bored with the kids. I never did get the college expansion pack." Beca rambled, not noticing Chloe's confusion. "It's the best one. It expands their life so much, and I just never got around to getting it."

Chloe sensed Beca's regret. She pulled herself up from the floor and walked over to the bed, where she had placed her bag. She pulled out her phone and texted Aubrey.

_Aubrey, need some help. Go to Best Buy, get sims 2 university. I'll pay you back later. –chloe_

"You're missing the best part!" Beca called from the computer. She had opened up Create-a-Sim and had two people already made. "What are you doing?"

"You just wait and see." Chloe said as she sat back down next to Beca. "So, can Sims sing, or is that too real?" She asked, examining the two Sims on the screen.

"Nothing's too real for Sims. Or too unreal, for that matter." Beca said. "There's homework," she started counting off on her fingers, "jobs, witches, zombies, and, yeah, there's singing." Chloe stared wide-eyed at Beca. "But not in English."

Chloe tilted her head and listened to the Sims speak as they were being created.

"That's really creepy." She said, imagining the Sims singing. "How were you not completely freaked out by this as a kid?"

"I was socially awkward." Beca laughed at her immediate answer. "Still am, but as a kid, I was even more so, if you can fathom that." Before Beca could continue, there was a knock at the door. Chloe shot off of the floor and flung open the door. Without saying anything, she returned with a box in her hand.

"I sent Aubrey on a mission. Here!" Chloe thrust the box into Beca's hands and waited expectantly for her reaction.

Beca turned the box over in her hands, reading every word. She felt the seal on the top, still unbroken and waiting to be torn apart. Slowly, Beca peeled the seal off of the case and carefully opened the box.

"This is why I love you, Chlo. Thank you so much." Beca whispered, still staring at the game in her hands. "Sims 2 University. Brand new." Chloe watched as Beca quit out of the game and switched the current disc with Sims 2 University.

As Beca installed the game, Chloe texted Aubrey.

_Thanks, meant a ton. –chloe_

_ You're lucky I had that from years ago. –aubrey_

"So, are we going to make ourselves?" Chloe asked when the game had installed.

"You bet. But be warned, it involves much soul searching." Beca joked. She opened up a new town and started Create-a-Sim, but stopped. "You want college or normal?"

"Beca. You just got University. If you don't start in college, I'll slap you."

"Thanks." Beca said, grinning. It had been years since she played Sims, but she knew exactly where everything was. Chloe watched, amazed, as Beca expertly typed in cheats and loaded up a new college campus.

"We should call it Barden!" Chloe exclaimed when the option came up. "We can make everyone we know!"

"And that's why people who play Sims never leave the house." Beca chuckled, watching Chloe's excitement take over.

The door to their dorm let in bright light when Kimmy Jin walked in.

"The white girl's are back." She said to the pack of Asians behind her. "Let's go somewhere else." Without another word, she left Beca and Chloe, who barely noticed the disruption. They were too engrossed in their new game.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the long absence. I don't think this story will go on too much longer, maybe a few more chapters. We'll see how it goes._

* * *

"Chloe, this is the third time you've searched through the outfits. Let's actually play the game." Beca laughed at the situation she had gotten herself into. Chloe was hunched over the computer, intently watching the array of digital clothes pass in front of her eyes. "You can buy more later."

Chloe turned around quickly with an almost manic look in her eyes.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Chloe threw her head back and laughed. "I guess that makes sense, doesn't it?" She skipped the rest of the clothes, settling with a simple outfit for the time being. But she paused when she arrived at the aspiration screen.

"Now you pick the personality." Beca explained, taking the mouse from Chloe. "Then, you pick the area of wants that you want your Sim to have. If they're knowledge, they'll get rewarded when they learn skills, and if they're popularity, the same goes for making friends." Beca could have delved into the deeper implications of every aspiration choice, but decided not to. Chloe was confused enough with minimal explanation.

"So, if I pick family, I'll want, what exactly?" Chloe asked. Beca grinned, excited that Chloe was getting into the game.

"First, you referred to your Sim in the first person. Congratulations, you have been overtaken by the game." Beca patted Chloe's shoulder. "If you're family, your Sim will want to get married and have babies. Lots of babies. And they want pets. And they want their kids to go to college and for their kids to get married and have kids."

"So, and I'm taking a wild guess here, for college, it's best to be either knowledge or popularity?" Chloe contorted her face as she thought, much to the amusement of Beca.

"Yeah. In Junior year, your Sim has the option to change aspirations, too." Beca surprised herself with that little bit of information. "I know too much about this."

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. It's cute." Chloe said teasingly. Beca rolled her eyes, but she wasn't as annoyed as she expected to be.

"Just wait until you see the Sim Modder. It's weird stuff."

/

It took them two hours to get their Sims set for the game, and another hour for each to claim and decorate their dorm rooms. Chloe occasionally forgot that there was an actual game, frequently getting lost in the sheer number of objects and gadgets available to buy. Neither of them were really too interested in actually playing the game, though. They were content to explore.

The only sound was the game's music, which Beca unknowingly hummed along to, and the frequent clicks and the tapping of the keyboard. But Beca was being gnawed at inside. She had too many questions.

"Chloe?" She asked as Chloe searched through the chairs.

"Yeah?"  
"Why do you put up with me? I mean, I'm just a screw-up. Why are you still here?" Beca felt her face burn red.

"Because I'm a screw-up. We find each other, it's how it works." Chloe turned away from the computer and faced Beca. "Trust me, if you could read my mind, you'd be surprised at what was there. My heart won't quit clawing up my chest and I'm just barely able to sit still." She took Beca's hand in hers, letting her shakiness travel through her arm and to their hands.

"Why?" Beca gripped Chloe's hand tightly.

"I'm always nervous. Par for the course."

Beca grinned slightly, but remembered something. It was a question she had wanted to ask for a while now.

"If you don't want to answer this, it's fine. But I do have a question for you." Beca bit the inside of her lip and tried to keep eye contact with Chloe.

"Go for it."

"How's therapy and stuff? No, that's not good. Just, well, tell me about it." Beca couldn't help the redness creep back up in her face.

"Sure." Chloe said, though she sounded quite the opposite. "Um, we talk about everything, I guess. Then he asks about my medication, to make sure I'm at the right dose, and I usually end up crying about something." She looked up at the ceiling as she thought more. "Yeah, and we talk about what's been making me, you know, weird. Then I go home."

"Huh. So you just talk?" Beca kept her grip on Chloe's hand, which was still shaking. "And all this time I thought you were part of some sacrificial ceremony every week." She laughed lightly, trying to keep the mood up.

"Yeah, that's afterwards. Totally different thing." Chloe joked. "But it's different for everyone, really. For me, talking through stuff helps, and for others, they may want more of a physical release, like exercise."

/

_Come outside. –chloe_

_ Why? –beca_

_ Just come. –chloe_

Beca checked out her window before leaving, making sure there wasn't anything suspicious. When her perimeter check was done, she headed down the stairs and out the building. She caught a glimpse of red hair standing behind a tree and smiled to herself. Chloe must be really excited if she was hiding her plan.

"Chlo! Chloe! Over here." Beca called out. Chloe ran out from under the tree and pulled Beca into a hug.

"Hi!" She stood back and looked at Beca. "Ready?"

"For what? I don't even know what we're doing."

"Awesome. Let's go."

Chloe led them through the nearby town and even further into an office building. Once they were inside, Chloe pulled Beca along to the elevator, not letting Beca read the signs or ask questions.

Chloe stopped walking once they approached a door. On it was a sign that read: _Miller and Falk Psychiatry_.

"Welcome to therapy." Chloe said, pushing open the door. "Don't worry, I asked to make sure it was okay."

But Beca wasn't worried at all. She figured that if she wanted to be in a relationship with Chloe, she would have to be a part of some aspect of Chloe's anxiety.

"Let's go, then." Beca stepped into the waiting room and looked around. A bookcase filled with magazines and old books stood in the corner, and chairs lined the walls. A hallway came off of one wall and had a few rooms in it. "Looks nice."

"Yeah." Chloe whispered, taking a hold of Beca's hand. "I'm glad you came."

"Well, I didn't even know I was coming."


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry it's been so long! Anyways, here's the next chapter (if you haven't guessed yet). Again, if you haven't, look up Skylar Astin, and this will be a lot funnier._

* * *

"You must be Beca." A tall man reached out his hand to Beca. "I'm glad to see you. Chloe's been talking about this for weeks now."

Chloe blushed, but stayed quiet. She was watching Beca's face, preparing herself in the event Beca wanted to bail.

"Yeah, glad to be here." Beca shook the man's hand and looked over to Chloe. "I just found out about this today. Are you-?"

"Dr. Miller, yes. Come in, come in." Dr. Miller stepped to the side and let Beca and Chloe into the small office.

Aside from the lack of space, the room could have passed for a living room. A brown, worn couch was on one side against the wall, facing two bookshelves that were on the other wall. A desk sat in the corner, with the chair pulled out and closer to the couch. Two other mismatched recliners flanked the couch. The compilation of furniture gave off an air of home. The sounds of their steps were muffed by the thick carpeting.

Chloe immediately sat in the middle of the couch, perched on the slight gap between the two seat cushions. She leaned back and patted the empty space to her right.

"Come on, sit." Chloe crossed a leg in front of her and smiled.

Beca slowly sat down next to Chloe. Dr. Miller sat in his desk chair and picked up a legal pad from his desk. His expectant smile put Beca on edge.

"So, do we need formal introductions, or should we let this play out?" He asked, directing his question at Chloe.

"Well, I'll let you two introduce yourselves a little, first. Then we can play it by ear." Chloe shot Beca a reassuring smile, prompting her to start talking.

"Okay, well, I'm Beca. I mix music and I want to be a music producer. My parents divorced when I was a kid, and my dad just got back in touch with me to get me to come to Barden, where he teaches comparative literature. I'm in the Bellas with Chloe, and I like to think of myself as a weird kid." Beca half-smiled at her last statement and laughed. "That's me in a nutshell. You?"

"I'm Dr. Miller. I actually went to Barden to get my degree. I've been seeing Chloe ever since she started going to Barden, and I have a wife and two kids, who are four and seven." Dr. Miller leaned back on his chair and looked around the room. "So far so good, right?"

"Yeah." Chloe reached her arm around Beca's shoulders and rubbed Beca's arm.

"So, how've you been lately, Chloe? Anything in particular you want to talk about?" Dr. Miller took a pen from his pocket and set it on his notepad, poised to write.

"Not too much at the moment. But, I do think I've been overreacting to a lot of things lately, you know?" Chloe tensed her hands and ran her thumb over her knuckles. "I guess you can say that, um, Beca and I have had an odd relationship so far?"

Beca nodded at Chloe's explanation.

"She kind of, what's the word, withdrew? Yeah, she withdrew when we got closer, not to say I didn't, but she was hesitant. Actually, at first, she was more interested in getting me to talk than talking herself," Beca added. Dr. Miller was watching her intently. "Should I keep going?"

"As long as you and Chloe are comfortable with it," he replied.

"Okay then. Um, once she told me about this," Beca gestured around the room, "she was better. I was able to help when some things got rough, I think."

Chloe visibly relaxed as Beca talked. She felt that, for once, she wasn't the only odd one.

"Beca's a real trooper with this," Chloe said, gently shaking Beca's shoulders. "Thanks so much."

"Well, it seems as such. To be honest, I haven't seen Chloe like this since she told me about Aubrey puking during finals week about a year ago." Dr. Miller stood up and stretched his fingers. "I think if you guys stick together, Chloe can handle her anxiety. You have a great support system."

Chloe stood up, pulling Beca up with her.

"Then I think that's it," Chloe said, grinning. "I'll call this week to set up the next appointment, cool?"

"Yeah. Have a good day."

/

"That was amazing." Chloe ran a hand through her hair as she spoke. "Wow. Dry face, for once."

"I'm proud of you. Now slap me because I sound like a mom," Beca joked, reeling back dramatically when Chloe's hand made light contact with her arm. "Whoa, Rocky, take it easy."

They walked back to Barden chatting about nothing, just enjoying the bright afternoon. As they walked, Beca led them around a few corners, through a playground, and to a small café. Inside, Jesse and Aubrey were waiting for them.

"What's the occasion?" Chloe whispered as they walked in.

"Well, I actually had this planned for a few days. I wanted to try to get them together and I figured you could make it seem less terribly thrown together," Beca explained. "Jesse's just been lonely lately, and I think Aubrey might be good for him."

"Well then, let's make a match."

/

The four of them spent an hour there, with Beca trying to convince Aubrey that theatre guys were cool and Chloe trying to convince Jesse that Aubrey wasn't totally insane. They were more or less successful, although Aubrey continually pointed out Jesse's constant humming.

"Would you rather I sing out loud?" Jesse threatened.

"Please, no. No," Aubrey recoiled at his offer. She was never one to enjoy public scenes.

"In that case…" Jesse cleared his throat and straightened his back. "_It's the bitch of living, with nothing but your hand_." He bounced in his seat and shook the table. "_Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion, creation, vacation, mucho masturbation. Touch me, just like that. Now lower down, where the figs lie. Maureen's got a new man? What's his name? Joanne._"

Aubrey couldn't help but chuckle, while Beca joined in the impromptu sing along. Chloe grinned at Aubrey and nodded, encouraging her to admit that she was enjoying herself.

"Okay, fine, very funny," Aubrey said, trying to hold back her laughter. "But he better get me tickets to see his next show."

Jesse, although still singing, pumped his fist in victory.


End file.
